Why I Escaped UK Lockdown To Smoke Weed In Mexico

I decided to escape from the UK’s long and arduous national lockdown to live in Mexico and smoke weed for the next six months. 

But why would I want to do that, I hear you ponder? 

Indeed, why would I leave damp and dreary London, where a lingering national lockdown has sucked any soul left out of an already deteriorated city, where you haven’t been able to hug your mum for most of the last year, and where you can’t even smoke a joint and eat some fish and chips with a couple of mates without paying a £200 surcharge to your loving and caring government?   

It’s a head scratcher, that’s for sure.  

But just in case you’re wondering, here are a few reasons I chose to swap London’s Clapham Common for Mexico’s Carribean Coast…

1. Everything is open. The president of Mexico believes that lockdowns are the work of “dictators” with “authoritarian instincts.” Masks are only necessary in shops and taxis. Restaurants are full, beaches are packed, and social distancing is hardly enforced.*

2. Mexico is about to legalise recreational cannabis, giving genesis to the world’s largest legal cannabis market. It’s been in the works for a while, but this Tuesday the bill made its way through the lower House of Congress to be passed on to the Senate for final approval, which is widely expected. New regulations would allow people to carry up to 28 grams and grow up to eight plants at home. The prospect of cannabis clubs lining the Riviera Maya has me salivating. 

3. The part of Mexico where I am located is beautiful. The weather here is similar to the UK, only the exact opposite. Replace clouds with no clouds and rain with no rain, and flip cold with hot. It’s lush, and having just emerged from many (I don’t know how many because they merged into one long boring existence) dark winter months of “working from home” and spending most of my time in one small south London flat, it’s all the more astounding. I’m not exaggerating when I say that one week of sun, ceviche and sun-grown cannabis has me feeling like a new person. 

4. I was getting pretty down in London. I’m not going to lie, the UK lockdown was taking its toll on my mental health – as I’m sure it has on most of us. Disconnection from friends, family and nature is the exact opposite of what human beings NEED for a healthy and happy life. Lockdowns are inhumane and will have far more devastating effects than the virus. #RejectTheReset

How I escaped the UK despite travel ban

I managed to escape the UK just before the Declaration To Travel Form was brought in for people trying to leave the country. Still, I had to pass two police checkpoints on my way through Gatwick last week, and it seems the same exemptions for travelling still apply.

Legal reasons to travel include: 

• Work 
• Medical treatment
• Education 
• Volunteering
• Essential family reasons 
• Relocating
• Activities related to buying, selling, letting or renting a residential property

You’ll also need any documents that back up your reason for travel to show to any police or border agents at the airport. 

My reason for travel was relocating (moving house is allowed). I had my story straight with regards to my visa requirements (tourist visa for 180 days) and my long-term plans (onward travel, visiting relatives etc). 

I printed out email conversations I’ve had with a real estate agent in Mexico regarding long-term rentals, details of my one-month rental agreement with Airbnb, copy of my one-way flight booking, and a copy of a dental appointment for a root canal in Mexico (just in case I needed another legal reason to travel).    

The build up to travel was stressful, not least when I got to the airport and had to explaining my reason of travel to two sets of police officers – one before check-in and one before security. I saw multiple people get refused at the check-in desk and two more at boarding, where police were questioning people randomly. 

It felt like we were escaping a brewing totalitarian state, showing our papers to officers and making sure our story was straight so we could leave the country. But I must give thanks to our noble leaders in the UK, who care so much about our wellbeing that they want to stop us from going to a country that lets you go to the gym and have friends. 

Legal cannabis in Mexico

Mexico was in the news this week as it took a step closer legalising recreational cannabis and becoming the biggest legal cannabis market in the world. 

The cannabis bill, which is backed by the administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and is expected to be signed into law by the president soon, will be a major milestone in a country that has struggled for power with violent drug cartels for many years.

Lopez Obrador has spoken many times about how decriminalising cannabis and other drugs could help combat Mexico’s powerful drug cartels.

While there is already a small and vibrant cannabis community in the country, the new regulations would allow people 18 years and older, and with a permit, to grow, carry or consume cannabis and its derivatives. There will also be licenses available for production, sale, distribution, extraction, research, and even vertical integration.

The industry will be regulated by the National Commission Against Addictions, which will see a number of limitations like prohibiting mail and phone selling of cannabis as well as vending machines. 

Medical cannabis has been legal in Mexico since 2017. 

With a population of 129.2 million people, Mexico’s industry could be worth a whopping £1.4 billion. Tax revenue, thousands of new jobs, acceptance of cannabis consumers – the UK could learn a thing or two from Mexico, in my opinion.  

* If you’re going to argue for the need for lockdowns to save lives, research Sweden’s death rate. If you want to point out Mexico’s high Covid death rate, it’s more likely due to the country’s high prevalence of diabetes and poor access to healthcare rather than lack of lockdowns and mask-wearing. If you’re going to argue about masks, there’s no hope for you.